MIT scientists build a tiny robot that swims using living muscle cells– www.sciencedaily.com
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EXCERPT:
A swimming robot does not necessarily need a bulky motor or powerful mechanical parts to move through water. MIT researchers have demonstrated that a single, carefully engineered layer of living muscle cells can generate enough force to propel a tiny robot forward.
The engineers developed an extremely thin swimming robot that uses living muscle tissue to move its fins. Described in a new study published in Advanced Functional Materials, the device has a flexible gel framework roughly the length and width of a stick of gum. The gel forms two fins, each coated with a layer of muscle cells far thinner than a human hair. These cells have been genetically modified to contract when exposed to light.
By directing light onto either fin, the researchers can trigger muscle contractions that make the fin flap and push the robot through water. Adjusting which fin receives light and how frequently it is illuminated allows the team to control both its speed and direction.
In experiments, the remarkably thin robot successfully swam and turned through a simple underwater maze. At maximum speed, it covered approximately four times its body length per minute. Although that is much slower than an Olympic swimmer, who can travel up to 65 body lengths per minute, it is comparable to the swimming pace of a cow shark moving leisurely through the ocean.
“It takes a lot of force to move through water versus air,” says study author Ritu Raman, associate professor of mechanical engineering at MIT. “The robot’s quite strong, given its size. ”
